"World Cinema: Israel"

My book, "World Cinema: Israel" (originally published in 1996) is available from Amazon on "Kindle", with an in-depth chapter comparing and analyzing internationally acclaimed Israeli films up to 2010.

Want to see some of the best films of recent years? Just scroll down to "best films" to find listings of my recommendations.

amykronish@gmail.com

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Sabena Hijacking

Sabena Hijacking, directed by Rani Sa'ar, is a
fascinating feature-length film which was broadcast on Israeli TV Channel 2 this week.It provides an interesting combination of documentary and historical
drama and offers a re-enactment of the hijacking of the Sabena airliner in 1972
in which four members of the Black September terrorist group grabbed a
passenger plane on the way to Tel Aviv in an attempt to free about 300
Palestinian activists from Israeli prisons. They threatened to blow up the
plane and all of its passengers and crew if the prisoners were not released.

The film –which was riveting and engrossing--combines
dramatic re-enactment with exclusive interviews with people who were involved
with the incident, including former
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and the current Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu who were members of the elite army unit, Sayeret Matkal, that was
chosen to storm the plane.In a
controversial move, the daring filmmakers juxtapose the stories of these
Israeli heroes with that of the sole surviving hijacker, Therese Halsa,--a
former Israeli citizen who was in Israeli prison for a long time and later
released to Jordan, where she now lives and where she was interviewed --who
provided a strong voice for the Palestinian point of view.Halsa's compelling character in the
re-enactment considers herself a "freedom fighter" and she says the
Israelis are the "terrorists" because they have taken away "our
land".

In addition, the story portrays the captain of the plane,
Reginald Levy, a British Jew, whose diary of the events was an important source
of information as to what happened on the plane. Captain Reginald, who remained
level-headed and felt very responsible for his passengers (perhaps also because
his wife was traveling on the plane) and
was in a way a neutral voice. In
addition to the many military heroes of this famous incident in Israel's
history of fighting terror, a surprising hero of the story is a member of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, an Israeli Jew
whose parents came from Syria, who spoke fluent Arabic, and was appointed to be the
negotiator with the hijackers.He did an
extraordinary job of trying to gain their trust while keeping cool and
continuously misleading them, until the IDF commando unit Sayeret Matkal was in place, dressed as technicians and ready to storm the
plane.

This film was particularly unusual for an Israeli
documentary/drama in that it actually revealed both narratives, the mainstream
Israeli one and the Palestinian one. According to a review in Ha'aretz by Itay
Stern, the film's director, Rani Sa'ar, said that in making the film, they had
to decide who was the hero of the story."We started editing the filmed interviews, and then the story's
dramatic human aspect became clear.There are heroes on the Israeli side, but also on the Palestinian
side."

Sabena Hijacking was made for Israel TV
Channel 2 by Keshet. The creator and producer of the film is Nati Dinnar
(natidinnar@gmail.com).Watch the trailer.

Amy Kronish

writes and lectures widely on subjects dealing with contemporary Israeli society as seen through film and is the author of two books on the subject: World Cinema: Israel (Flicks Books, Trowbridge, England and Associated University Press, Fairleigh Dickinson, NJ, 1996, updated in 2010 for digital reader) and Israeli Film: A Reference Guide (co-author, Greenwood Publishing, Westport, CN, 2003). Both books are available from Amazon for use on a digital reader.

Check out the letters of appreciation that I have received from my speaking tours!

On behalf of our Sherith Israel Congregation I would express my sincere thanks for the superb program on Israeli film that you presented last Saturday evening. Your passionate love for film and, of course, for Israel came through in the dramatic clips that you showed and in the very lively discussion that you inspired. You have a very special gift for bringing your listeners into the challenging questions and themes raised by the films. Truly, your program was incredibly well-received. I would not hesitate to recommend you to synagogues, schools, and Jewish Centers throughout the country.

From Cantor Eric SchulmillerThe Reconstructionist Synagogue of the North ShorePlandome, NY

In reference to Amy's availability as a master teacher of Israeli cinema, I wanted to share my personal testimony. Our congregation brought Amy in to lead two separate programs on a wonderful shabbat this past winter.

First, she conducted an amazing session with our teen group - presenting film clips and facilitating discussions that werechallenging, engaging, and never patronizing to our group of kids. She spoke to them like the sophisticated consumers of media that they are, and they came away very satisfied and enlightened from the experience.

That same evening, Amy led a program and discussion for the adults in our congregation, and the feedback I received was equally positive. We all found Amy to be extremely knowledgeable, organized, and (too rare among presentersthese days) very easy to work with! I highly recommend her services to any congregation that is looking for a way to enrich their community's relationship with Israel through an exploration of a wide variety of issues brought forth by a sensitive, careful examination of its cinematic tradition.

From Joan FriedmanAssistant Professor of History and Religious StudiesCollege of Wooster, Ohio

We were fortunate to have Amy Kronish speak on campus two years ago about Israeli film; the students really enjoyed the evening. Don't pass up this opportunity!

Film Lectures by Amy Kronish on Issues of Israeli Society

-- Adolescents of Israel: Are They Really Different?

-- Changing Attitudes Towards War and Peace

-- Gender Issues in Israeli Cinema

-- Issues of Memory – The Holocaust and Israeli Society

-- Lens on Israel: Contemporary Issues in Israeli Society

-- Understanding the Other – Palestinian and Jewish Perspectives

Amy Kronish

Check out my latest articles --

on Israeli films about life in Tel Aviv -- on the Eretz Acheret magazine English website -- Urban Fantasies